


You’ve got to learn to love yourself

by Thebusylifeofme



Category: Bates Motel (2013)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-26
Packaged: 2021-03-27 19:21:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30127623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thebusylifeofme/pseuds/Thebusylifeofme
Summary: A random day in the month of April 2016-After a performance in the coffee shop, Norma breaks down in tears but as usual Alex is there to comfort her and reassures her that everything she hates about herself, he believes are the best things about her.That is the worst summary ever- it should make more sense hopefully <3
Relationships: Norma Bates/Alex Romero
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Norma sold the motel after the accident, they now live in Alex’s old house.  
> Norman is back in Pineview for good and she’s reconnected with Dylan and Emma.  
> This is my first ever story by the way- so it might not be perfect.

It was a friday meaning that Alex was at work; today he worked from 9 to 6.  
Friday was the only day that Norma got off from work. 

*Earlier in the day*

After she had been to the doctors for a new prescription for her medication, she went grocery shopping for a few bits and then went to get a coffee before going home. 

She went to the coffee shop where her and Alex would meet sometimes when he had a break and she had a late morning start. 

As she was waiting for her coffee she overheard voices and the mention of the ‘sheriff’ and ‘his new marriage’. 

After she got her coffee she went and sat near to these people but so they couldn’t see her. One of them had apparently been away for a few months so was being filled in; Norma knew who these women were, she wasn’t all that keen on them.  
After a couple of minutes they mention Alex again, ‘yeah did you know the Sheriff got married to that nutcase who used to run that motel’.  
She smiled because she knew that was what everyone thought of her- even Alex.  
However her smile faded when she heard, ‘he could’ve done so much better. I mean she looks like a freak from the 60s with the way she dresses. Who’s she trying to be Marilyn Monroe’.  
She had to force the tears to not fall. Another one then pipes up, ‘yeah one of my friends has known of her for a while, she said that she’d gotten a little chubbier on her legs and waist. If I was Alex, I’d leave her for someone else, she seems a walking disaster to me. Even her kids hate her and then there’s that about her brother as well- although I think it was her brother who forced it and that is awful’. 

After they had finished gossiping she waited until they left and had disappeared. She got up and went straight to her car where she fully broke down in tears. She’d always been insecure with how her body looked and how her face looked. Hearing it from someone else who she didn’t really know made her feel worse about herself. As she drove home, the tears kept falling- I can’t tell Alex she thought. 

She knew he’d be angry. 

As she walked through the front door, she looked at the clock and it was around half 3. She went straight into their room and took off her coat, then her shoes and finally her dress. She walked over to the mirror wearing just her underwear and bra; she cracked there and then, wishing Alex was there to give her a cuddle. After hearing what she had today and battling with insecurities all her life, she felt physically sick to her stomach. 

She moved to put on her robe and sat down on their bed. A pen and paper was sat on her bedside table, she picked both up and immediately started writing- still with tears falling. 

Never did I ever think I’d want to sit and write down exactly how I feel about myself but I guess here goes. 

*Since I was 20 I’ve hated how my body looks and how my face looks. Even though John would occasionally tell me that I looked beautiful in anything I felt far from it. 

After growing up in a house of physical abuse and verbal abuse, it scarred me for life. I’d have my dad say to me ‘Norma you need to eat more healthily, you’re looking a little out of shape’.  
My mother never said anything about me. Caleb wouldn’t say things to my face but he’d say them to out parents. 

Then there was Sam, dear lord. The first few months he was a normal guy, a bit like Alex - who would always compliment me, he’d make me feel wanted. It wasn’t until I told him I was pregnant with Norman where the verbal abuse began again. He would call me ‘fat’, ‘weak’, ‘lazy’, ‘ugly’- you name it and it came out of sam’s mouth. Of course I believed all of it. 

Nobody knows this but when I lived at home, I would do things to myself. I self harmed a few times- down my arms and on my stomach as that was those were the biggest insecurities. Sam obviously saw them and he told me to carry on as it might help disguise the fat stomach and chubby arms. Oh and then he called me an ‘attention seeker’ and yeah maybe I was.  
I didn’t wanna live, I hated myself and my body and who’d I become. I wish sometimes that I’d just have gone, it’d be better.  
The scars are still there, luckily Alex has never seen them which I don’t know how. I normally try and hide them with foundation but today they’re fully visible. 

So yes, here’s why I’m so insecure about myself. I’m mentally scarred from the abuse of growing up and then it carrying on into a marriage.  
I have little voice inside my head telling me, ‘Alex can do better’, ‘what are you wearing?’, ‘that dress makes you fat’, ‘don’t expose your legs’, ‘make some more lines’. 

I wish I could love myself but I can’t.  
I’ve never spoken up about this because I’m embarrassed and ashamed.  
I’d starve myself to try and get thinner but it just made me sick. Yes I may look happy and I am happy, happy in my marriage with a man I’ve waited 42 years for.  
The inside is where I’m falling apart and I don’t know how much more I can take.  
The smiles are fake but just to cover up the real Norma Louise Bates.*

After she’d finished writing, she placed it next to her and glanced at the clock through glossy eyes- 4:10pm. She calculated that Alex would be home within 2 hours. After getting under the covers, she felt mentally drained and all she wanted was to sleep so that is what she did. 

*1 and a half hour later* 

He’d finally finished his shift for the weekend and day. Heading to his SUV a particular woman popped into his head- Norma Louise Bates. He loved her, he’d waited a whole 2 years nearly for her and honestly he never imagined them to be together never mind married. Alex was the happiest he’s ever been and everyone knew it. 

Arriving home, Alex opened the front door, expecting to find his wife in the kitchen singing or having some music playing. Unfortunately he found the house in darkness. He thought it was weird as Norma’s car was outside; wondering into the kitchen- empty.  
A dim light then caught his eye, he followed it and found who he was looking for. She was asleep, in a deep sleep apparently when she didn’t even flinch to his presence. He walked over to their bed and took off his shoes, he lent down and kissed her cheek, ‘I love you’. As he was rising from the bed, a couple of sheets of paper caught his eye. Alex being Alex decided to pick them up, so he didn’t wake Norma he took himself into the kitchen and sat at the table. 

His eyes did a quick scan of the numerous little paragraphs. Afterwards he went back over and took every word in, once he had finished he was in a bit of shock.  
He had no idea about anything, yes everyone had their insecurities and she’d asked him the odd time if she ‘looked too fat’- but he didn’t imagine she felt like this about herself. He understood why she did, like she said the past verbal abuse has scarred her. Instead of bringing it up to her, he placed the letters inside his pocket and decided to make a drink- she’d talk about it when she was ready. 

Norma awoke to sounds in the kitchen, she reached for her phone and had apparently missed some messages- Alex.  
‘I’m on my way back, I’ve missed you’.  
‘I hope you’re okay, I can’t wait to see you’.  
‘I love you’.  
She smiled to herself and got up to see her husband who she’d been dying to see all day. On arrival to the kitchen she practically hurled herself into his arms, ‘hi, I missed you’. She notices the look on his face when he doesn’t reply, ‘what’s wrong?’.  
He wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her to him, ‘nothing it was just a stressful day’. She kisses him a few times on his cheek, ‘okay well are you hungry, I can make dinner’.  
‘I mean yeah unless you want me to go out and get something for us’. She thought about it for a while, ‘no it’s fine I can make something quick’.  
He walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs to get changed, he took the papers out of his pocket and put them into his jeans. After removing his belt and sheriff’s uniform, he was left in his black top and black jeans. He wandered downstairs to find Norma with a wooden spatula and a pan full of bits, he walked over and glances in the pan- peppers, chicken, herbs, onion pieces, garlic, a little bit of sauce. ‘Oh, I hope you like fajitas’.  
He wrapped his arms around her, ‘yeah, I mean who doesn’t’.  
She left the pan alone for 10 mins and turned to face her husband, ‘what’s wrong? You seem very on edge like you’re wanting to say something’. He leaned to kiss her, ‘nothings wrong I promise, it was just a case from earlier’.  
‘Tell me about it’. She moved her arms around his neck and he lifted her onto the countertop, ‘well one of my deputies saw his wife get shot today. Luckily and I don’t know how but she’s alive; I just imagined- not in a bad way but what if that happened to you’.  
She pulled him in for a hug, ‘I’m really sorry and listen it won’t happen to me, after what happened with Norman I seem to second guess everything’. 

He looked at her outfit, ‘is there anything on under this?’.  
‘There is but it’s staying tied as I don’t want to be sat in my underwear and bra in the kitchen’. He had a feeling that wasn’t why but didn’t press on.  
Over dinner it was mainly Norma who did the talking, I mean when wasn’t she. Alex noticed she had in the earrings he gave her for her birthday. ‘You want more wine?’, she shouted at him when he wandered into the room to see who was at the door.  
‘Yeah thanks’.  
He opened the door to find one of his deputies, ‘hi sheriff, I know it’s late but I just wanted to inform you that Wilson’s wife is stable and she’s going to be okay’. He breathed a sigh of relief, ‘oh thank god, I’ll go and see him tomorrow or give him a call, thanks for letting me know’.  
‘No problem sheriff, also I think you’re wanted’, his eyes glanced past Alex to where Norma was standing. She shouted ‘hello’ at him and then randomly waves at him. Alex stands there rolling his eyes. 

After Jackson had left, he thought to himself- you know she isn’t as bad as everyone makes out. She seems very sweet and god she’s gorgeous. 

‘Who was that?’, she asked whilst practically gulping the wine down her throat. ‘Oh it was Jackson coming to tell me that Wilson’s wife is stable and she’s going to be okay’. She walked over to him and lent herself against his chest, ‘you see I told she would be’.  
He started playing with her hand, something else he does a lot, ‘Norma we need to talk’. She snapped out of her trance and back to planet White Pine the minute she heard those 5 words. ‘Erm okay, are you leaving me? Have I done something?’.  
His hand went to his head as how he worded it made it sound like she was in the wrong, ‘no no you’ve done nothing, we’re fine, you know I’d never leave you’. She smiled whilst walking to the sofa and sitting, ‘sooo, what’s wrong then?’.  
He came and sat next to her, ‘listen don’t lie to me or shout at me, but’.. reaching into his pocket, ‘when I got home I came into our room looking for you and spotted this, I read it when your were still asleep’.  
He looked at her to find her eyes filled with tears, ‘come here’.  
She shuffled herself along the sofa to him and sat onto his lap- something else she does when she wants comfort, ‘I’m sorry you had to read that but everything you have read is the complete truth, I’ll tell you but please never mention any of this to anyone’.  
He took her hand, ‘of course I won’t, I would never do that’. 

Here goes nothing she thought. 

‘I don’t know what you want me to say because it’s all explained there’, she said sniffing.  
He kissed her cheek, ‘start by telling me why you wrote it’.  
She nodded, ‘well I was in town earlier, I went to the doctors then grocery shopping and then went to get coffee. When I was in there I overheard people talking about you so I decided to listen and they said ‘oh have you heard about the sheriff, he’s married to that nutcase from the motel’- like I laughed that bit off. Then one said ‘oh yeah so and so said that she’d put weight on her legs and stomach’- I think it was.  
Then they mentioned ‘Caleb’ and ‘how you deserve better than me bla bla bla’.  
Then how I feel about myself anyway just made me hate myself more and believe everything that I think, has been said and then now what’s been said more true. That’s basically the reason and now writing everything on that a paper, I just guess I feel better for it’. 

Alex was in full shock he didn’t expect that. He just thought that she had decided to write down how she felt so maybe she could overcome it and love herself. He pulled her closer to himself, ‘oh Norma I’m so sorry, but listen to me you ever hear anyone else saying anything about you or our marriage you come and tell me’. She just continued to cry into his chest. 

After about half an hour she’d fully calmed down, ‘I’m gunna go make a drink, do you want anything?’.  
‘I’ll come with you, I’ll make them’.  
They walked into the kitchen and she sat on the countertop watching her husbands every move, ‘do you think it’s daft? I mean me crying over a few comments’.  
Whilst waiting for the kettle he wondered over to her and took her hand, ‘no I don’t, I know you’re sensitive and being spoken about in public is awful nevermind hearing the person say it. I still love you for who you are’.  
She looked up at him with more tears trailing down her face, ‘Thankyou’.  
She then rolled her robe sleeves up without thinking, Alex very quickly caught a glance at the lines down her inner left arm. She looked up at him and then realised what he was looking at, ‘oh god, I’m sorry I completely forgot..’ she trailed on. 

He moved to stand in front of her, taking her arm in his hand he brought it to his face and kissed all the scars. ‘Norma don’t feel embarrassed or ashamed that you have them, please don’t hide them anymore. Yes they might be there forever but that doesn’t make you any less of a person to what anyone else is. Earlier when you said about not untieing your robe was that because of the scars?’.  
She didn’t reply, ‘I’m sorry I’ll stop now but know if you ever need anything or want to talk I’m here’.  
She hopped off the counter and moved past him, he watched on as she went straight to their room. He decided not to follow her and wanted to give her some space, instead he made a drink and went to sit on the couch. 

He sat there for a while listening to Norma’s loud and heavy sobs. He didn’t want to bother her but he felt awful for just leaving her. In the end he got up and approached the door, as he got closer her cries got louder. He slowly opened the door, she didn’t even acknowledge his presence; although when he got on the bed next to her, her cries turned to hiccups.  
‘Alex’ was about the only thing she could choke out. 

He turned his head and realised she was looking at him through the mirror, ‘hey I wanted to leave you a bit, I didn’t wanna seem like I was forcing you to tell me everything’.  
‘You weren’t forcing me, there’s just nothing else to say about it other than yeah earlier I didn’t want you untieing my robe because you’d have seen the scars and the bit of chub on my stomach’. 

Alex’s heart cracked a little at the last sentence, he turned fully so he was facing her and draped his arm around her and rested his chin on her shoulder.  
She moved her hand to entwine it with his, he then kissed her cheek before saying, ‘listen from the first few days of me knowing you, I’ve always thought you were beautiful- yeah you were an absolute pain. I know it’s hard when all you want to do is hide away from the world and it seems impossible to love yourself. People like those today, they aren’t worth your time, I mean seriously where are we- school. We’re not all perfect but you’re perfect to me, I don’t care if you gain a little bit of weight in your face, on your stomach or legs. You will still be beautiful to me and nothing will change that, I will always love you and I’ll never pick out any of your insecurities like Sam or anyone used to or does’. 

She cried again for like the 4th time that day, she squeezed his hand as a response that she knew what he meant, ‘Thankyou’. He cuddled her closer to him and kept pecking her cheek with tiny kisses. 

After half an hour she fell asleep, clearly exhausted from the day. Alex got up and went to take a shower however before he got there, the house phone rang. He went to answer it, ‘hello’.  
‘Oh hi, is Norma Bates available?’, he sighed knowing she’d not want to talk. ‘Erm not at the moment, she’s ill so she’s in bed asleep. Can I ask who this is?’.  
‘Sorry I’m one of the doctors from pine view, we just need your wife to come in so we can give an update on Norman’.  
Alex didn’t want her going to see him, after what happened he didn’t want him near her. ‘Yeah okay well when she wakes up I’ll let her know you called and she’ll probably give you a call back tomorrow’.  
‘Thankyou sheriff, much appreciated’.  
He decided he’d mention it too her tomorrow, she’s had a hard day and doesn’t need this on top of everything. 

After getting out the shower, he went back downstairs and found her in the kitchen. ‘Hey, you feel any better?’.  
‘I feel mentally exhausted but sleeping earlier helped, have you been in the shower?’.  
‘Yeah why?’.  
She smiled ‘you’ve brought your towel downstairs with you’.  
He looked into his hand, ‘I swear I hung it up, my mind’s clouded with 200 different things’.  
She got up and walked over to where her husband was, wapping her arms around his middle, ‘you wanna talk about it?’.  
‘No no I’m fine seriously, oh erm pineview rang, they want you to go in and get some update on Norman. I told them you’d ring them back’.  
She sighed, ‘yeah I’ll ring them tomorrow, I don’t know how I feel about going to see him’. He pulled her into his arms, ‘you go whenever you’re ready’. 

It was around 2am when Norma awoke, she seemed to do this every few nights out of the week. All she does is replay that awful day and night in her head with Norman, she thinks how stupid she was for allowing him to come home. 

She didn’t know how long she had been awake, maybe half an hour, she felt a hand touch her arm, ‘Norma whats wrong?’.  
She flicked her head to the side, ‘it happens almost every night, I wake up and think about what happened but as much as I hate him for it, I still miss him’.  
He shifted closer to her and wrapped her up in his arms, ‘it’s okay, he’s your son of course you’re going to miss him. I can’t ever forgive him what he did to you’.  
She sniffles, ‘I know, I’ll ring Pineview and see if I can speak over the phone’. He kissed her cheek, ‘you do whatever you’re comfortable with but just know I’ll be here with you’.  
She squeezed his hand, ‘I love you more than anything’. 

With that she fell into a well needed deep sleep. Alex laid awake for a little longer, he was worried about her. It’d been hard not just for her, for both of them.  
He knew she missed Norman but he couldn’t imagine her being near her or even coming home after what happened in December.  
All he knew now was that she was safe and loved with him; all she needs is reassurance every now and then. 

Hopefully then she’ll learn to love herself just like Alex loves her. 

The end. X


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of the previous day into the next day.   
> The events at the end weren’t planned at all, I just had no idea of what to write.   
> Caleb is included in this.   
> Also the next chapter will be a happier one- hopefully.

The next day.... 

It was Saturday meaning both Norma and Alex had the day off. Alex awoke before her, he turned his head to the side to find her passed out still, she was laid on her stomach with her head resting on her arms.   
He leant over and kissed her cheek, temple, shoulder. He then laid there watching her sleep, she looked peaceful; when she wasn’t awake it seemed that was the only time she found peace.   
He then whispered, ‘I love you more than anything. You’re beautiful to me on the inside and out’. 

It was around half 9, Alex firstly went to take a shower- because when isn’t he.   
It was a beautiful morning, the skies were blue, the sun out, birds singing; he just hoped and prayed Norma was her usual self today.   
After he’d had his shower, he walked into the kitchen and went to make a drink.   
Sounds behind him brought him from his thoughts, he turned around to find Norma stood at the kitchen entrance. She was stood fully dressed in a dress he’d never seen her wear before, makeup pristine as usual and some wedge sandals, ‘hey beautiful, how’d you feel?’.   
She walked over to him and wound her arms around his back, ‘drained from yesterday but I’m glad you’re here. By the way I heard what you said’.   
‘Hmmm?’.   
‘When you woke up and kissed my top half, I heard what you said’.   
He smiled and kissed her head a few times before pulling away to retrieve his coffee, ‘well I’m speaking the whole truth. Hey you fancy going for a walk today, the weathers nice. Then maybe go out for dinner, if you fancy it’.   
She went a took a seat at the table, ‘yeah why not, be nice to get out of this house for a bit. Also yes to the meal, it’s a Saturday night regular occurrence’.   
During their ‘coffee morning’, it was mostly silent, Alex didn’t wanna keep asking her if she was okay- he knew she’d tell him in time.   
He kept throwing glances her way but she was to enthused into a magazine that was on the table. 

After 20 minutes, Alex rose from the kitchen table and announced he’d go get breakfast for them, ‘what do you fancy?’.   
‘Pancakes and waffles with strawberries’.   
He smiled, ‘your wish is my command my dear, I’ll be back in 10 minutes’.   
She stood up and walked over to him at the sink, wrapping her arms around his neck, she whispered ‘thankyou for everything you’ve done and been to me these past years, I love you more than you know’.   
He placed his cup on the side and turned around to fully face her, ‘you deserve all the happiness in the world, I love you too’.   
He then pressed his lips to hers and brought his hands to tangle in her hair, she pulled away, ‘Alex’, she whined.   
‘I did my hair nice today, please don’t mess it up’.   
He smirked, ‘Norma it looks the same as it does any other day’.   
She gasped, ‘excuse me, that’s highly rude’, after a slap on his chest, she sent him on his way to get breakfast. This left her on the sofa in the living room reading a book that she hadn’t looked at for a few months. 

Once Alex arrived at the ‘breakfast’ take away outlet, he got out of his SUV and made his way inside, in there he spotted Regina.   
She turned and smiled as she always does, ‘oh hey’.   
‘Hey, you okay?’.   
‘Yeah I’m good, you?’, she glanced at the woman behind the counter and gave her, her order, ‘I’m great’.  
Thinking the conversation had ended, ‘oh Alex, sorry I thought I should tell you this. A few minutes before you came there was a couple talking about Norma’.   
He quickly gave the woman behind the counter his order and stared back at her, ‘tell me outside, I mean unless you need to be somewhere’.   
‘No no, I’m good’. He nodded and smiled at her.   
Once they were outside, they made their way over to Alex’s SUV, ‘so what was said?’.   
‘They were mostly talking about her brother because apparently he’s back in town. It was about what happened to her when she was a teenager. I’m guessing you know’.   
He nodded, ‘if it’s about what you’re describing then yeah I do’.   
‘Oh and they also mentioned how she’ll pull you down because she’s an absolute train wreck, then how you’ll get humiliated because you’re with someone who had sex with their bother. It was mostly about her brother though, I don’t know where he is but you’ve got to tell her’.   
‘Yeah I will do, thanks Regina. If anything else gets said let me know’.   
She nodded and walked off back into town.   
He got into his SUV and began formulating a plan of how to tell Norma. 

He found her exactly where he’d left her, she immediately walked over to him when he got back, ‘hiii, I missed you’.   
He wrapped his arms around her, ‘I missed you just as much’.   
Alex decided that he’d wait until after they’d ate to tell her about Caleb, ‘how was town?’.   
‘Oh it was okay, it was quiet. I saw Regina, you know you’re favourite person’.   
She scoffed, ‘she’s hated me from the moment she met me’.   
‘Well Norma in defence you were an absolute pain’.   
‘Yeah only because the sheriff around here was a complete arsehole’.   
They sat back onto the couch with their food, Alex was glad Norma was in a happy mood, however he didn’t know how to bring up why Regina had really told him.   
He decided to wait until after they’d had breakfast. In all honesty, he’d have kept it from her for as long as he could but he knew he had to be truthful with her.   
She has always- (well not always) been truthful with him.   
He decided to clear away the stuff from breakfast just to get away from her for a bit so that he could formulate some sort of plan of what to say.   
‘Alex!’.   
‘Yeah? What’s wrong?’.   
She sat smiling at him, ‘nothing, I just want a hug, I feel like we never get to spend proper time together’.   
He sighed and walked back into the room, ‘I know how you feel. I’ll take a couple days off next week when you’re off and we can do whatever you like’.   
She patted the seat next to her and he gratefully moved to sit next to her. She shuffled over and he wrapped both his arms around her; she leant herself against his chest and intwined her fingers with his.   
He sat staring down at their hands before propping his chin in between her neck and shoulder, ‘I love you’.   
She turned to face him and caught his lips, ‘I love you more. Hey I’m gunna ring pineview tomorrow and see what they want’.   
‘Okay, you know where I am if you need me’. She kissed his hand, ‘thankyou’.   
Alex piped up again after a 5 minute silence of them just being wound up in each other’s company,   
‘Norma, I’ve gotta tell you something’. Like yesterday dread ran through her, immediately she untangled herself from him and stood up, ‘what’s wrong?’.   
He stood and went over to her, grasping her arms, ‘listen, no secrets yeah’. She nodded, ‘Alex please tell me. Have you been with someone else?’.   
‘No no, you know how I said I’d seen Regina earlier, well she said that before I got to the coffee place she overheard people talking about you. Not just you though, about you and Caleb and what happened when you were kids, now I don’t know how they know okay. Also he’s back in town as well..’, his sentence was cut short by Norma’s voice, ‘I... I thought I’d gotten past the Caleb issue, what else did she say?’.   
‘That and that you’re a train wreck and you’re going to pull me down with you in your mess and I’ll be humiliated for marrying someone who had sex with their brother’.   
At this point the tears were streaming down her face, ‘oh my god, this is why I should’ve never let him back into my life. I should’ve never told Dylan about him’. 

There was silence for a few minutes before she spoke again, ‘and you know what they’re right. I am a complete trainwreck and honestly Alex you deserve someone so much better than me. I’ve never been good for anyone, my whole life has been one disaster after another and now because of THIS you’re going to be the one who gets the shit for it!’.   
He stayed stood where he was, he wanted to make sure she was finished, ‘I swear if I ever lay eyes on Caleb I will kill him. You’ve gotta understand that it wasn’t my fault...’   
‘Hon, I know it wasn’t your fault, you...’, again he was cut off.  
‘Were they the only two people talking?’.   
‘I believe so’.   
She sighed heavily and tried her best to wipe her tears away.   
She then started pacing the room, ‘well soon it’ll be the whole fricking town who knows, I can’t deal with people humiliating you because of me. Alex please just divorce me now, you’re life would be so much easier without me in it. I just know with my track record everyone will be talking about it, they won’t give a shit about what he has to say’. 

Alex had, had enough. He walked over to her and pulled her straight into his arms; they wrapped around her waist, her arms mirrored the action.   
‘Now you listen to me. Whilst I’m in charge in this town, nobody humiliates me or my nutcase of a wife. You’re not a train wreck, you’ve had a bad past with some awful experiences and here you are now; you’ve over came them. You’re one of the strongest people I know, having dealt with so much in your life- if it was me I’d have cracked. I’m not leaving you or divorcing you, you make my life 100 times better. I love waking up next to you, spending any time I can with you, seeing that adorable smile of yours. I love you more than anything and I have for a while so don’t believe for a second I’ll be divorcing you. You hear anyone say anything about Caleb you come straight to me and if you see him, again tell me; he’s crazy and needs locking up. Whether he comes here looking for you or grabs you in the street, you have to tell me and if he does come here and I’m in, don’t expect it to be pretty. I’d do anything to keep you safe and to see that smile on your face every second of the day’. 

He squeezed her a few times to reassure her that he meant every word of what he’d just said.   
She pulled away from him and kissed him hard on the lips, she was still crying however so he brought his hand up to her face to wipe away her tears. She couldn’t respond to him, just kept crying into his shirt.   
‘Shhhh, please stop crying. It’s going to be okay, you’ve got nothing to worry about with me’. He brought his hands to her back and began rubbing circles on it, ‘I love you’.  
She pulled away from his embrace and walked off into the kitchen, Alex stood where he was before, he wanted to give her space.   
He could hear her heavily breathing, Alex knew best when she was about to have a panic attack. 

He took off from his spot and walked towards the kitchen, he found Norma sat at the table trying her best to breath through the heavy tears.   
Immediately he went to her and knelt down in front of her, ‘Norma’, whilst taking both her hands.   
‘I need you to look at me and breath slowly’. She brought her face up to face him, mascara and eyeliner trailed down her face; she looked broken.   
He moved over to the counter and retrieved some kitchen roll, then went to the sink and wet it with water. She was still in the exact same place, slowly taking her hand into his, he began wiping away the heavy lines on her face.   
Once he’d finished, he got her to try and get her breath back. Taking in deep breaths through her nose and mouth, eventually her breathing returned to normal, ‘honey, you okay? Please talk to me, just one word’. 

‘How do you expect me to be okay when the one thing I wanted no one knowing is about to be spread around the whole town!’.   
He sighed, ‘I’m sorry I didn’t mean it like that, I just...’  
‘You know what Alex, forget it. These past two days I’ve felt nothing but shit about myself, none of this is your fault and you’ve been the best person ever. However I don’t wanna pull you down to the same wavelength as me’.   
With that she rose from the chair, grabbing her bag and made her way to the door and outside. 

This left Alex in the same kneeling position on the floor, he dropped his head to his hands and sighed, the hell can she be going. 

A few hours had passed, Alex had been out looking for her for the past half hour- unfortunately he had no look.   
He’d been all over White Pine bay. In shops, doctors surgery, the beach, the docks, Sheriff’s department and even the hospital- nothing.   
Alex was now in the kitchen pacing, just like she was doing earlier; getting out his phone he called her again- Hello, this is Norma Bates. Leave a message and I’ll call you back.  
‘Norma, I can’t imagine how you must feel right now but please call me when you get this. I promise I will protect you from anyone or anything, I love you’.   
Something he rarely did nowadays was drink but his anxieties and worries were through the roof, he had to have a drink. Grabbing the whiskey from inside the cupboard, he got out a glass and poured half a glass. He then moved to sit at the kitchen table in hope that his wife would return to him soon. 

A loud bang on the door, drew him from his thoughts; it was around half 5 at this point. He jumped from the couch, praying it was Norma- but then again why would she knock?   
As he approached the door, there stood one of his deputies. He opened the door to reveal deputy Wilcock, ‘hi sheriff, your wife has been spotted down by the docks. Someone reported her being with another man, tallish, Sandy hair, large build. Apparently he hit her a few times before walking away’.   
He quickly grabbed his coat from the rack and made his way outside, ‘is she still there?’.   
‘Yes she is, is everything okay?’.   
He sighed, ‘I mean no it’s not, I just don’t think it’s my place to say what’s happened’.   
His deputy nodded, ‘I completely understand, listen she was still there when I got the call to come get you. No one has spoken to her as when the attack happened she disappeared and then was spotted near the docks’. 

Approaching his SUV, ‘thankyou for coming to get me, I need you to look out for this male. I know exactly who it is, Caleb Calhoun- my wife’s brother. When you find him, arrest him and take him to the station. Call me as soon as he’s there, he’s dangerous. I can’t explain the full circumstances but I think you get it’. 

‘Will do sheriff and I hope your wife is okay. I’ll get some of the others to get a tracker out for him’.   
Alex nodded at him, ‘thanks, listen I’ve gotta go but keep me updated’.   
With that he took off to the docks, his deputy headed back to the Sheriff’s department with the news of their ‘mysterious’ attacker’. 

Around 20 minutes later, Alex arrived at the docks.   
He immediately spotted Norma’s blonde hair, she was sat on a bench near to Gill’s dry dock- who’s ever it was now he didn’t know and quite frankly care.   
After exiting his SUV, he slowly made his way down the steps to where his wife sat. He didn’t want to run at her as he knew how she could be and if she had been attacked as well, he knew better than anyone to not approach a victim at high running speed.   
‘Norma?’.   
Her head snapped around the minute she heard his voice, a large purple bruise coated her left cheek and thick lines of dried mascara and eyeliner ran down her cheeks.   
She didn’t respond, his just turned away and gazed out to sea. Alex slowly began to approach the bench she was sat at, ‘honey, it’s me. Can I sit down?’.   
Again, no response. Instead of plonking himself next to her, he walked around and knelt in front of her.   
He examined her face, there was a large bruise on her left cheek, a nasty cut on her forehead, another bruise on her neck and large handprints on her forearms. 

Her gazed flicked down to Alex, she didn’t move her head just moved her eyes, ‘how’d you know I was here?’.   
‘Someone saw a man attack you, I don’t know what happened after that because I was told you disappeared. One of my deputies came and told me, that they were contacted because I wasn’t at work. He thought he’d come get me to come find you’.   
He stood up and moved next to her, his arm moved to wrap around her but she flinched away, ‘it’s okay. I won’t hurt you’. 

In the end, it all became too much for her. She turned to face him and cracked, he extended his arm out to her and she took it gratefully. Alex pulled her into his chest and wrapped both his arms around her, ‘it’s okay, I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again. Please tell me what happened, even if it’s just a few words’. 

She moved her hand to intertwine it with his, ‘Caleb saw me. I asked him why he decided to say something about what happened. He didn’t like that I’d caught him out and got angry. Then hit me and left; he was drunk as well’.   
She began crying again, he pressed small kisses onto her head and squeezed her hand, ‘I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. We need to get you to hospital, they need to examine your injuries’.   
‘Okay’, was all she could say. He was shocked, she didn’t try arguing with him, he didn’t say anything as it wasn’t the correct time or place.   
Alex decided he’d wait for 20 minutes until he knew she was ready. He kept rubbing her arm, kissing her cheek, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze and talking to her about anything to cheer her up.   
He noticed the look on her face when they stood, ‘sweetie, what’s wrong? Where’s the pain?’.   
She glanced at him, ‘my stomach’. He carefully rolled her dress up at the front to reveal two large bruises on her lower half near her ribs, ‘they definitely need looking at’. 

They slowly walked back to Alex’s car, she kept gasping in pain and scrunching her face up whenever the pain worsened.   
Alex had his right arm wrapped around her middle, his other hand held onto hers. Every so often he’d bring it to his lips to press a kiss to it, ‘I love you’.   
Their trip back to the SUV wasn’t as easy as they first thought, a second encounter with Caleb occurred.   
‘Ohhh, look who it is my little sister with her big bad Sheriff of a husband. He can’t protect you from everything you know’.   
The minute they saw Caleb, Alex called for backup- he knew he’d need it.   
‘Caleb I know what you’ve done to her. You step one foot closer to her and I won’t be afraid to shoot you’. At this point Alex had ushered Norma behind him, one of his hands still grabbed onto hers however.   
‘Oh yeah, that won’t look good for the papers. The local sheriff shoots his wife’s brother for speaking to her’.   
Alex stepped forward, ‘oh no, no, no that wouldn’t be the only reason. She was attacked and verbally abused by you tonight, would you like me to go on to mention what happened years ago?’.   
A voice from behind popped up, ‘Alex please don’t’, he glanced back to find her with tears in her eyes.   
He leant forward and kissed her lips, ‘I won’t, I promise’.   
‘You know Alex, she has a voice’.   
‘Mmm yeah and so do you, you just don’t know when to not use it. Caleb I suggest right now that you either walk away and don’t ever come back to this town or we can carry on here and I’ll arrest you for harassment, physical and verbal abuse on your own sister’. 

Caleb rolled his eyes, ‘she’s the one who’s been irrational all these years’.   
‘Yeah and she has good reason for it’. 

Caleb stared back at her, ‘oh, he knows does he?’.   
Norma eventually found her voice to answer, ‘of course he does. After that shit with chick I had no choice but to tell him. You know what though, you’re the only person who looks an idiot in all of this, just let it drop and leave me and my life alone. I don’t want you in it and I never will, I’ve lived with this secret for the past goodness knows how many years and it made me feel physically sick that I had to let other people know about it because you turned up out the blue two years ago. If hear that you have said a word to anyone else in this town about us, don’t think I won’t come and get answers’. - she paused before continuing, ‘I’m trying to build a life and a marriage with a man who I’ve waited my whole life for and I don’t need you trying to destroy that to make yourself feel better’. 

At that moment, backup arrived. Two of Alex’s deputies got out and approached the scene; Norma had moved back behind Alex.   
Her hand was pressed into her stomach as the pain increased; more tears leaked down her cheeks.   
Caleb was so angry at her that he took it on himself to for the second time to lunge at her and knock her unconscious. It all happened so fast that Alex stood there for seconds that felt like hours. Caleb’s voice brought him back to planet White Pine.   
She lay on the floor, caleb’s body towered over her, ‘that’s what you get when you don’t keep it shut’.   
The minute the words spilled from his mouth, Alex’s deputies were onto him. They put handcuffs on him but not before Alex landed a few swings at him, ‘yeah and that’s what you get for making her life a living nightmare for the past 42 years’.   
They took him to the car and shoved him in the back, Alex knelt down next to Norma who was slowly regaining consciousness, ‘Alex...’  
‘Don’t talk honey okay, I’m going to take you to the hospital now’. He bent down and kissed her lips, then he nose and both her cheeks. 

He picked her from the ground with ease, her hand went to his face, ‘I’m sorry, kill him if you need too’.   
Before slipping back into unconsciousness, ‘you’re not dying on me tonight, Mrs Sheriff. Hold on for me’.   
With that he gently placed her in the passenger seat and took off to the hospital, he reached his hand over and squeezed her hand- luckily she squeezed back. 

The radio started talking, ‘sheriff were holding him overnight, will you be good to talk tomorrow?’.   
‘Tomorrow would be perfect, tonight I need to stay with her’.   
‘I understand. I hope she makes a full recovery soon, keep us updated’.   
‘Thanks and I will do’. 

Alex glanced over at her, ‘we’re going to the hospital now. He’s been arrested and is being held in a cell overnight. I promise you, I’ll never let anything happen to you again. I love you Norma Louise’.   
He brought they’re entwined hands up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss on them, then leant over and kissed her bruises.   
Before setting off, he grabbed his first aid kit and got our some wipes. He wiped her face fresh from the tears and cleaned her nasty gnash on her forehead- he didn’t realise how deep it was until he got up close.   
Once he’d finished, he glanced up at her- she was still out.   
Slowly he moved the first aid kit into the back of the car and started the engine. Driving away from the docks, all he had on his mind was Norma and the day she’d had; he would get to the bottom of it whenever she was ready to tell him... 

Onwards to the hospital.....


End file.
